Sum It Up

At Mathnasium, our elementary students love to play Sum It Up! We love this game for three reasons:

1) it is team-oriented. 

2) it provides many opportunities to discuss alternatives to finger counting. 

3) it introduces algebraic thinking concepts that are critical for future success in math.

To play, first you need to make a game board by placing three cards on a sheet of paper and then putting an addition and an equals sign in between the cards as seen below:

Next, you need to place a math fact from a deck of cards on the game board like so:

Next, deal out five cards to each player. The goal is to keep going around in a circle with every player putting two (and only two) cards on the game board to make a new math fact. For example, we placed a 3 on the 8 and a 4 on the 9 to make the following:

Each time a player makes a new fact, they draw two new cards. Players keep going around until the entire deck of cards is gone or until no one has any cards they can play. If a player truly can't find a combination, then they can trade in their hand for five new cards. We usually have them put their hand face up for everyone to see in case they missed a fact.

Try out the game with your family and let us know how it goes! We think this game is best with Mathnasium Playing Cards labeled zero through twelve. You can easily modify a deck at home, or you can come into the center and get a deck for free!